Gun charger



Nov. 20, 1951 w. A. v. THoMs-EN GUN CHARGER 2 SHEETS- SHEETl Filed NOV.16, 1949 QQ mm\ um PS I A INVENToR.

Nui

I. &m.

GUN CHARGER w. A. v. THOMSEN lv. L

Nov. 20, 1951 Filed Nov. 1e, 1949 Patented Nov. 20, 1951 @UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE GUN CHARGER` Application November 16, 1949, SerialrNo.127,597

17 Claims.

The present invention relates to ordnance, and, more-particularlyfrelates .to improvements in the ci)v rol'v mechanism 'for gun chargersfor recocki` atniatic'iachine' guns, cannons and the lkezw "'TIYhepresent invention is primarily concerned with"gifi` cliargersfl'orVmachine guns or the like having fa "eciprcatingniemben such asV a boltiS't'id associated with the recockng mechnisni-cf megonwhich is adaptedto be moved 10 f wardlyby the reoil'of the gun and is adapted tbem'ovdforw'ardlyby rebound thereof and/or bya'spriiigfthe'gun chargercomprising essentiall'yuid pressure niedium loperated means including aram adapted to move thebolt or stud 15 rearwardly, andcontrolmechanismfor effecting actatioiofitheram. i Accordingly, an'object of the presentinvention is' to provide gun charger""control mechanism wnicnfisrelatively simple, compact and inex- 20 pensive in construction, isreadily' assembled,` and isfr'eliable in operation.'

Another object is ,to provide gun charger control .mechanism which Vhasa `minimum number ofparts, .is ylightin weight and yet is sturdy in 25construction.

A .further ,object is to .provide gun charger control VJin eclianism ofthe foregoing character whicljiis automatically and manually operable.

AQther Landfurther obiectsof the invention.will beobvionsppon an.understanding of the illustratye mbdmentabout to be described, or willl; indicated in theappvendedclaims, and various .a antagesnotreierred-toherein will occur to one skilled in tlie art uponemployment of the in antifm invraii- {In cordancef'with .the invention,the foregoiigobctsgenerally are accomplished by proding',

y pressure medium operated in il'ectivefarid .aloperableto render the ,emedium secreted means effective i5 arranged. ir climbing. movement 0f lin an's to its' ineiective position, and toma' cally'and/or manuallyoperable de t e control "in en`s`-efective and ine ectivl'spctivlyfand/oflatch' the control 50 means in effective position.

Ir an illustrative embodiment of the invention, aboitfto be describeithecontrol means include ayalv- 'fo'r`controlling` the admission of fluidDressfureinehcfimto efl'ect'operationvo'f the ram, 55

Vri.

a valve operating rod, ayoke mounted for movement with respect to therod, ala'tch for the yoke, a spring cooperating with` tlierod and yoke'for urging the rod ina direction to close the valve While the latch iselcctive', an element operable to render the latch ineffective, a springoperatively associated with the elementfor urging the element into aposition'to render the'latch ineffective, means for'retarding movementof the "elementv under the influence of .the last mentioned spring, suchas escapemnt mechanism, and means associated with theelement'andoperable by the reciprocating member of the gun for moving the elementin a direction .to prevent the element from v.rendering .the latchineffective. `In such an arrangementpthe escapement mechanism or'itsequivalent' and means for latching the 'rod in valve opening positionare .under the control of the automatically and/or manually operablemeans and the yoke 'is re-latched upon operation of the ram.

In this embodiment, the automatically and/or manually operablemeanscomprise an electrical circuit including a solenoid for renderingthe control means elective andineiective and/or for latching the controlmeans ineffective position, a normally closed switch for controlling.the energization of the solenoid arranged to be opened by the controlmeans when in effective position, a normally open switch for controllingthe" energization of the solenoid arranged to be closed upon operationof the ram, Aand means formanually operating the solenoid directly, orindirectly rthrough manually controlled switches.

A preferred embodiment of. the invention has been chosen for purposes`ofillustration land description, land is shown :in `vthe accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the` specication, wherein: l

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view of` a machine gun having a guncharger attached thereto. M Y c Figure 2 is a schematic view of theessential operating elements of a gun charger in accordance with thepresent invention, the elements be.- ing shown in theirnormalnon-operating or inac.- tive position.

Figure 3 is avieyv similar to-Figure2fillustrating elements in positionto effect operation ofthe ram.

Figure 4 is a .view'similar to Figure 3 illustrating the elements inposition when the rain'is about to effect return thereof to theirinitial' position. y,

sign which includes a reciprocating assembly carrying a member such as abolt or stud II adapted to be moved rearwardly by recoil of the gunresulting from firing of'cartridge's '0i' the likeY and adapted to bemoved forwardly by rebound and/or by a return spring I2 or the like.Since sure medium from the inlet 42 into the cylinder 24.

flow of pressure medium from the inlet 42 to the cylinder 24 and fromthe cylinder to the exhaust port 46. To accomplish the foregoing, thevalve member assembly 41 has an internal chamber 49, a port 50 at oneend of this chamber normally closed by a spring seated valve member 5Iadapted to be unseated by pressure'medium introduced through the inlet42, and a second portV 52 at the* other end of this chamber adapted tobe/superimposed over the port 44 to introduce the pres- The mechanism orassembly means for controlling the valves 30 and 3| generally comprisesthe construction and operation-of such recocking Y Y mechanisms is wellknown to those skilled irrthe art and since the gun and the recockingmechanism do not constitute essential parts of the present invention,detailed villustration and description thereof are not believed to benecessary.

In order to recock-or recharge the gun in the event the normal operatingor ring Acycle is' interrupted at a time it is desired to continuefiring, a suitable encased gun charger I4 is attached to the gun housingI0. The gun charger is operatively associated with the reciprocatingbolt or stud member II which extends through a slot I5 in the housingand into the guncharger casing.

The gun charger I4 may be'operated by a uid pressure medium, such ascarbon dioxide, nitrogen or compressed air or the like stored in acontainer I6 and supplied to the gun charger by a hosey vI8. Electricalconductors I9 connect the electrical devices -contained inlthe guncharger with other' elements of an electrical circuit including a sourceof energy and control panel switches or the like. f In lFigure 2, theessential operating parts of the gun charger with which the presentinvention is more particularly concerned are illustrated schematically.Generally described, these elements comprise the fluid pressure mediumoperated means, the control mechanism for rendering these means eiectiveand ineffective, and the electrical circuit associated with the controlmechanism.

The fluid pressure medium operated means comprise a cylinder 24, apiston in the cylinder,

a rain or head 26 connected to the piston by a tubular stem 21, a returnspring 23, a guideway 29 for'the ram positioned adjacent the slot I5 tofacilitate engagement of the stud Il by the ram, a pressure medium inletvalve 30, and a cylinder exhaust valve. 3 I. v

The valve 30 has an inlet 32 connected to the source of pressure mediumby the hose I 8, an outlet 34 connected by a tube 35 to theexhaust valve3I, and exhaust port 36 in communication with the atmosphere, andapertured valve seat 31Ybetween the inlet32 and the outletI 34, a secondaperturedpvalve seat 38 between the outlet 34 and the exhaust port 36,and a valve member, such as a ball 39, in a chamber 40 between the valveseats 31 and 38 for controlling the flow of pressure medium through thevalve. -'The exhaust valve 3I has a chamber 4I provided withan inlet 42connected to thetube 35,v

a port 44 formed with a seat 45 for establishing communication betweenthe chamber' 4I and the cylinder 24, andan exhaust port 46 incommuication with `the atmosphere. A valve member assembly 41 is movablymounted in the chamber 4I for opening and closing the port 44 to controlthe after. .Y

A member 82, serving as latch vmeans forA rea rod 55, a yoke 56 or thelike slidably mounted on the rod 55, a latch 51 for the yoke pivotallyrY --mounted at58, an assembly 59 including an ele-V Ymenti" adapted tobe urged into position to -render the latch ineffective and arranged toVIce moved out of such position by the stud I I during normal ring ofthe gun, and anv escapement mechanism 60 for retarding movementV of theelement 9| intoY a position to renderV the latch ineffective as willbecome apparent hereinafter;

The rod 55 is slidably supported by a bearing 6I adjacent one endthereof andV by a bearing portionor bore 62 formedrin thebody of thevalve 30 adjacent its exhaust port 36 into which a ref ducedstem portion64 at the other end ofthe rod extends. A further reducedstem portion 65is formed at the free' end of the stemportion 64 which extends throughthe aperture,y off the-valve seat 36 and is adapted t`o control theseating -of the valve member 39 on the seats 31 and 38, as

Will be described hereinaften The rod 55 further has a flange 66. or its.equivalent adjacent the stem'portion 64, a stem 61 at the end oppositethe valve operating end. formed of electrically non-conductive material,and a diametrical slot 69 'intermediate its ends as shown in Figure 5. Acylindrical spring 16 has one end in engagement with the outer face'V ofthe flange 66 and has its other end in engage- Y ment with the body ofthe valve 30 Vadjacent the bearing portion 62 for urging therod' out of"the valve member engaging position.

The yoke 56 Vis generally U-shaped'- and comprises a pair of legs 1I`and 12 joined by an intermediateportion 14 which isslidably disposed inthe slot 69. A spring15, coiled about the rod 55, has one end inengagement with the inn'er face of the flange 66 and has its other endinengagement with the yoke Vportion 14 to urge the yoke away from thevalver operating Vend ofA the rod.

The leg 1I of theyoke 56 Ahas a projection 16 cooperating with aprojection 11 of the latch51l to cause the yoke portion 14tofmaintainthe spring 15 under compression and thereby cause the latterto urge the rod 55 and its stem portion 65 in a direction to hold thevalve member 39 on its seat 31. A spring 19, having its end, connectedto the latch 51 and leg 1I, respecf tively, positions the latch tofacilitate interengagement by the projections 16 and 11. Y

The leg 12 has a projection 80 extending into the path of the ram 26,and has an 'electrically non-conductive lateral extension 8|,the funcytions of which will berrnade apparent hereintaining the rod 55 in valveopening position, is pivotally mounted on the rod 55 adjacent the stem61. One end of the member82has alatching Pletwrl. 84. thereon and theother end coetanei-noi .Serinev e-feonneeteea thereto wniclrfhae;rtefotrierz en@ .e.or-.inoated.y tof yale Eig..

ienf .inefreetite render-:fina aeeernblxe 5eeempriee nner4r leverforarm; 8,9 keyed; on ee- !18.; :at-flowerr Lleve arm; 9,0 keyerit-en teshafty, andsanfint A. keyec, Qrr-thessha :88 an provided-With ateneezefortengaginsetne .eneide off. thelateh.; 15.1- tofunlccieetheepr..eotrone eend; 1L Theninee am Eole tiene., Lhae conta ntone.l,tenninal-V of the battersi-f afer nreinzneslelff eonntereeleeseenewnleebyoonneotine the same tcveaoh omnia-ssn .vv-Irlandtnerebyfeansne-the einl e vhe @nonterminal of the Solebodle'eonfezftefzeffeetruoloekine,or tnelatoh; 5.1.` lin rden; to preventsuchunlatchigggtWliile-theFeelv A ina: normal-1m -.the -lowerearmrelt iaDosierung-mtime-nath efetnefstrici l'l y-vrloerebvthe, Stoa neo eachrear o movement-there@ moves the; selen/.o 9.0 aisne dietenmtc turn theshaft ee-and; vieseon.Heated-. the switch. element |22and the theamelthereen :a clockwise direetione eontaot;v |352, aneitne oontaet |35iS oonneotedto j'hegscapementmechanism 60 cooperatesfwith itch-elementIZB-and 4the contact |40..

the ass h1y-59fto retard, `fr novement oif-the shag;` operation of the;gun charger. will become. anktheealgmsthereon underthe infiuenepiapparent from the description about-to follow. the spring 94, andcomprisesa train-@gears 9,5, .Whenk-rthef gun is idle, the* firingswitch ||1, aerei farniiiitafetarWheel99 rotatable With-.thetbe-holdbaoli. .Witehll-leand; the release .Switch gear QL.an-eeeanernent. :nawl |;|.l.0 .for the star- |;2.|l,.- ope Vposition.and the mechanical ele:

wheel: ixnonnted erfosoiliating movement at |01 to' lease, the-starfwneelf and. a naw-1. :|02 'vive otaiirfme on tne. armee-fiorengagingtlre gear -95Iwhic,h-;ie rotatably .mounted v -shaftf 85,'member 3,9301: its kseat A3'! to. shut off the lfhqpawl '102.oonn`etsthe gear 95 to the agar; press w-rrietiiinvli inlet, 32. The solenoidplunge;` een. eonnterv-eloekwise rnovrnnent` therewith AH1;termite-downward or der-energized position theiihuence of the spring94 asperge, whereby the escapement pawl |00 isY prevented mittecr'by-theescapement VpaWl, the lstar wheel-351" from l-o,sf.;,i-i1ating.and the escapement mechanism andether gears. and. the pawl |02 isadantedto iefloek. to .retain the nnlatohineaeeembly 59 in i theirno.,rlrna1V noeitobe Yasl Sbotvnfy in. with. tnerewrteh H5 closed. andthe. h |,6vo1o e n. The yoke Eli-.islatched.whereby7movef-idly-aerosetne gear S5. when the ar-m- 89a a'nineeeztivepositionbyengaeernentof thepawl andfshatga are moved in a clockwise direction[.03 with/.the gear. 9.5..

upon-.engagement of the arm 9|J bythe studiienit isfdesiredfto put thergiuri into opera-v The @Soapeinfllt mechanism 6,0 isad-apted t0 otionfandyoperate the gun charger automatically,.hefrgndrggffgtivgandineective by angle@- the: tiring-switch ||1 1sclosed to energize the uueaavmg la plunger lnwhich is; adapted tg.tnereb caneinethe plunger to be raised (as engagefanfarm weon theescapementpawl |094 Shown 11i-broken. lines, Figure 2) to release the tothereby lock-fthe escapement mechanism when 145 es gefpementpawl arm|04. .As the gun fires, stud the lsolenoid is cie-energized. The plungeralso l-lLdlEifQlreGQl-and return of the gun -leCOCkng isV:adaptedte'cooperate with. the latohrnemberl meohaniernrnowreoinrooates in the Slot |5- The to, 'retillrthelld SLi-in -valveopening-position Springe ilY tends, to -move the escapement mecha- Whenthe solenoid is cie-energized. To accom-.- msm retarded .Shft 38 and thearms 39 9U vand olin the .foregoing fnnetioneY the plunger is ,5o 8|thereon eountereloekwiee to cause the latch aggptegfmgye@Qwnwardl'yupdeythe ineffective, While 4@he Stud at theof'eravitiranei/eraa serine.- ||..2 when the-solemeieiA WF1. 0f @eenrearward Stroke Contacts. the erm. is; -eeeeneggigea and the underside.er the, een' el-ifmovee the. Shaft 88 clockwise to preventgiungereBrome@-withaprojeuoa mf-aqaptd the e.- -e| thereon tromrendering the latoh.

' latch kmember 82.

,I the,event the gunfails to flre normally, the The control circuitfurther include'sqag giqrmwmellftletlld] ceases thereby enablingmally.elo.sedswiten H5., a normally apen 4etviieh ihefeeeemblyetltorendef the leech 57 neleetve', i-.le--eanrinewiten ere-*relay m, 'a'holibaci; as Shown in' Fiebre 3.- Wben this occurs. the. eviten-.I le.;areieaee Switch |20, and-a Sonreeof: fiorYQlSe-*' .Tel-@Wed en@ theSpring 1 (91 ,the lele triarenerey, such-as. a. battery ly.' vPresent..e.eriiurnaotingon the valve member 39) The switch H5 cQimpgSes .a Vwir gfommen@ mctivefto move the rodj5 5 towards the right, .IH and |23normallyaoontacting yeach othexy'fat @SYEWC This movement 0f. the I'OdCauses the. ,Lutv Ifhe.l element |23 is constructed and are. S?? l *2Qengage andilex the Switch element |23' ranged to-be engagedand flexed by,thestem ,61 c5 Where@ ,Contact iShlOkell at |24. and the 5016110161tokjreal thecontaoteat |24. .U ,is qeeenergized to'render theescapemenijl Thefswitch |||y comprises a, pair .ofl elements :nochnismineiective bylockingthe arm |04 and 12e-and |21 normally held.apartrby constructing. to i'latehftne real-'55 Yby engagement betweenthe and-arranging the element |21 to vloe engagei` plunger projection||4 and the latch member byetheextensionl on the .yoke itoholdit out fo1B jection 84j.- When the yoke is un1atched,-theof-'eontaetwiththeelement-.|26 at .all tirnee.exev eer' e .1.5.ieetfeetive to move. the Yoke portion 1.4 eentfwhenr-the ram 2 6 moves-theryolre 5er-'reales faeainet h.e 'end of theelotatthereht thereofward te reeetthe .laten Wherebvedoe :toresiiienoe ewhereb., -theProieeton le of the yoke and the oii-tkre elernerrtizl eontaet may beestablished oroieetlon'llrofztheiaton-eannotengage- .|ee.tv.ree.rr131erelerrrfar.te..` re ftiiearosi Seniores. towards tire riehtrtne elepolemomeritary oir. ult-by grondine 'qnetgrmihar 55 throughitsjstempontion 65 holdsthe,

envases:

When the piston 25 moves outwardly of lthfe cylinder, the ram engagestheA sud and movesl'j" it rearward (or to the left, as viewed) Near theend of the outward stroke of rthe piston', as'shown in Figure 4, the'ram also engages the yoke' pro'-r jection 80 and moves the yoke and itsprojection 16 ,towards the left whereby the spring 19 moves the latch 51downwardly to positionthe latch projection 11 for re-engagement withthejyoke projection 16, while the stud re-sets` the a's'sei'nJ bly A59by engaging the arm 9|) and and the shaft 88 clockwise.

geving' ,ii

Such movement o' the yoke causes'f'the"v extension 8| to release theswitch element |21 toye'n'- j able the same to contact the switchelement l|2i and thereby eect energization yof thel solenoid lil toeffectrelease ofy the latch memberA 82; Alamost instantaneously, theyoke effects move'm -nt of the rod 55 towards the left through,yokeportions 1 4 action on the spring 15 whereby the rod stem 61 releasesthe switch element 23 'for es tablishing contact at |24 to againmaintain the solenoid energized. 1 `When the rod 55 is returned to itsinitial position, as shown in Figure 2, the valve member' 39 is movedfrom the seat 38 to the lseat 31 ,to uncover thek exhaust port 36and'shut on the prefssure medium inlet 32. Pressure medium trapped inthechamber 4| at the right of, the valve inem-v ber assembly 41, is thenpermitted lto be exhausted tothe atmosphere by way of the tube 35, theout;- let 34, the valve chamber 40 and the exhaust port 35. The pressuremedium trapped in the cylinder 24 moves the valve member `assemblytowards the right, as Viewed, to unclose the port 44 andfpermit rapidexhaust of thepressure me diuml through the port 46. The' return spring28 is now adapted to retract the piston and move the ram inwardly or totheright, whereby the stud is moved forwardly under the influence of thespring l2 to put the gun inaction again, At the instant the ram movestowards the lright the yoke projection 80 is released, and theA spring15- moves the yoke slightly towards the. right whereby the projection 16and 11 re-engage. Such movement of the yoke causes .the extension 8|y tomove the switch element |21 out ofcon tact with the element |26. When itis desired `to operate the gun charger manually for test purposes, orloading or unload-f ing the gun, or to clear the gun under certainconditions where manual supervision is preferred, the ring switch ||1 isopened and the firing solenoid and the solenoid |||l are de-energized,the switches I9 and`|2|l are open to render the switches l and I6ineiective, and themechanical elements are in the positions lshown inFigure 2.

"Upon momentary closingv of the holdback switch I9, the solenoid |||l isenergized to render the escapement mechanism effective toenable theassembly 59 to function under the `influence of the spring 94 to renderthe latch ineffective. Since the stud ||'is not reciprocating (because 8tiigii'riy 's-inactive) ,the assembly 5s 1sot'reset but is permitted torelease the latch'. 'When'tliis occurs, the valves and 3| are operated-as pre1 vious'ly described to cause the ram to be extended, andv therod is moved byv the spring A1|) to open thesw'itch ||5 (Figure 3). Thesolenoid is thereby'de-energized and latches the rod in valve openingposition, while the ram holds back the stud and engages the yoketorelatch the same. The extension 8| is thereby moved into aV positionwhich enables the switch element |21 to contact the element |26 thusclosing the switch tion of said solenoid arranged-to be opened-by'y |`|6'Howeven closing of the switch has no effect on the solenoid Htbecausethe switch |'202in series therewith is open. Y -When' it is desired toallow the stud to rel' turn -from its held-back position, the releaseswitch '|29 is 'closed momentarilyl thereby causing the solenoid'l l0 tobe energized.- The plungerl ||I| now releases the rod latching member'82 to permit the rod 55 to move into'valve closing position whereby thecylinder 24 is exhausted as previouslydescribed and the ram is retractedtoz allowthe stud to return.y I 'I he gun charger may also'be operatedmanually; directly without operating the'switches 9 and L29, This-isaccomplished'- by rst raising the plunger and holding it in raisedposi-` tion until lthe assembly'leiects unlatching of the yoke 56 andthe rod 55 effects opening of the valve 30, next releasing the plungerto latch the rod in valve opening position, and then raising the plungermomentarily when the yoke has been relatohed to release the rod formovement into valve lclosing'position whereby the Acylinder'- 24'isexh'austed and tlieram returns to its initial position. Such manualoperation is facilitated by providing the plunger with a stemV I I3extend' ing to' the exterior of the solenoid to which' operating means4(not shown) may beconnected located at the exterior of the chargerhousing;

From the foregoing description, it' will be seen that the presentinvention providesanr improved. gun chargerfwhich is vrelatively simplein con' struction and is reliable in operation, either auto-4 maticallyor manually. The gun chargerv is rugged in construction and can readilywithstand such rough usuage to which it normally may be subjected,

vAs various changes may construction and arrangement of the partsherein, without departing from the spirit and scope f the invention andwithout sacricing any of its advantages, it is to bev understood thatall matter herein is to be 'interpreted asillustrative and not in anylimitingsense Y 'Iclaimz "1. In a gun charger for a machine gun or thelike having a reciprocating member adapted to be moved rearwardly by therecoil of the gunand adapted to bemoved forwardly'by rebound and/ or aspring, the combination of: fluid pressure medium operated meansincluding a ram for engaging the reciprocating member andY moving thesame into its rearward position; control means for normally renderingvsaid iud pressure medium operated means ineffective and being 0P-erable to render said fluid pressure operated means effective, saidcontrol means including an element engaged by said ram to .move saidcontrol means to its normal position; and an electrical circuitincluding a solenoid for rendering said control means effectivefandineffective, a normally closed switch for controlling the energizaf bemadein the form,

said feontrol means when positioned to vrender saiduid pressure,operatedmeans.eieetive, and a normally openoswitch ,for controlling theenergization .of said solenoid including ,an element engagedbysaid ramnponoperation y.thereof to effect closing A of s aidilastmentionedswitch.

2. I n a Vgun charger ,I or. a maehinegnn or the v like having areeiproeating member adapted .to be moved rearwardlyby the recgilofthegun and adapted to be moved forwardly b5/ rebound hand/ora spring,theeomloination-of: nd pres- ;snre.. medium operated means inolnding `aram ;for engaging the reciprocating member andmovthe same into itsreallwald vposition Aconinol means fornorxnally renderingsaidfluidnressure y-zoliedium operated means v`ineiiemive and lbeingoperable to render said fluid pressnre operated fmeanseeotive.saidcontrol meansincluding an :element engaged ,by said ram to mOYesaidcontrolm ilatchmeans; andan electrical circuitincluding -aisolenoidhaving means foriengvaging said latch means tn latch said v controlmeans ,in -fnosition .torrender said iinid pressure medium operated`means .eieotiva a normally closed switch ier- 2.25

controlling Vthe energizatipn of said solenoid, said.yeontrolmeanshaving means arranged for openlingisaid switch whenpositioned to render said duid i-pressnre. operated means effetive, anda normally .Qperl.. Switch for controlling the energiZa-on of SaidSolenoid 4including an, element l engaged by said Vramfupon operationthereof l to eect closing of'saidlastmentionedswiteh.

,13., ,In agun oharger for a machine gun or the -1i,ke,havingareciprooating. member 4adapted to -befmoyed rearwardlybylthearecoil .of the kgun iand adapted to, befmovedforwardly by reboundand/or.- a spring; ,the ouml)mation of: iiuid pressure medium operatedmeans inclnding a ram fonengaging the reciprocatingmember. and movingthe sameinto its .rearward position; control @means forv Anormallyrendering ,said iiuid presfsure medium oneratedmeans ineeetive and fheingrioperableto render vsaid uidepressure operratedmeanszeiective, said controly means Aincludsaid control .means nto; its normalnositionand -includngl latcmmeanS; an electrical circuit in- :acludng a solenoidfor rendering said control means effective and ineffective andhavingmeans ;.;for.- engagngfsaid ,latch means to latch said -control meanspin.positionio rendersaid nuid npressure -;,medium operated meanseffective, a normally closedzswitch for controlling vthe ener-.zigization of said solenoid, ;said controlmeans hav- VAng meansarranged for opening said n switch Lwhenpositioned to render. said fiuidpre ssure operated means eiective, iandeJ` normally open switch forcontrolling.. the energization of said :solenoid includingan elementengaged by sa id fram:upon operationgthereof to eiect closing of:saidzlast mentioned fswitch.

- .;4. In algun charger for afmachine, gun ortloe :like having areciprocating 4memberA adaptedto :be moved. rearwardly bytherecoil oftheagun Y `andadapted to bemovedwforvvardlmby rebound and/or `a spring,thecombination of yfluidl pressure medium operated means including a.iram fior engaging theireciprocating. `member and movzing ihesameinto;its Lrearward iposition; .oontrol means. for. normally renderingsaid; fluidpressure lmedium .operated- 4means ineffective-and `beingoperable -to Lrender.' said'f'iiuid fpressnre L operated meansleiective, said control-.rneansi including -fannelementaengaged:bmsaid-z-ram toy move.J said eans to its normal positiongand including-01'0 o ontrolnieans C t0- its #armbandenand:ineludinelaten en einem@ 1 0ending a enid 191 .femelles Said PR01 etienne when enrlgesif and' melf C,iYe `Willendevf-frlerei.ed and a04 saldra@ I or 1.1rgine Said ro @sinepesiiin: a' smiles-,fer effecting. nov nt-0r said .levait-intakt@ireleasina-postie. means ferreiafdine tf1 fileve- .140 mentpfsaid layerO .latgh .ielef ih gboetini fof nreine. s d mdareCwri t0 been seid valvewnen'said leigh is 176,1 means movablewith rQl; arranged for renderingsaid oo nieansiorr f1 engendre einige means neffraie/e upon operati9n0iseid rami il In aeun charger for aneehifle eener the like having@reciprocating member adarfedi bernex/.ed ,rearwardly by the recoil. of;the een e5 i.and adapted Lto be moreel forwadly'br rebfrlid end/or aspring, the Combination 0f inarressure medimn operated meensiincldineeram for engaging the `reciproeating..member and nieving the Asame rintoits rearward, s191011; -Yalve -meansfor epnlfQllpg the @minion Offflud-Llresure-mediumftosad llsmean in@ dneaylve operating rod; fassernnlvjmanspp erable-pylisaid fof ureins, Said rodilla @recaen/t0C1956 said valve ine1 1 1 d 11gv a 15115111 fof retainingsad .assemblymeans in suhneeiion 'i rod tdlose Said nave; lei/er; fprarelaslng .saidlatch; an ann associated with-Said lever `adapted to move said leverontof, l to eieasing position responsive to merementnf theireciproeating1member; a. springer@ effecting movement o said leverintoAlatch releasingp si- .;tion; eseapementimeohanism-fOY- retarsing'-hemovement of said Vleveri into 4 i 1atch position; meansffor urgmgsaid-ro to. open said. :valvei when Said latch is. frle@ 1175 Sed;

atrasos 'latch means on said rou; an electrical circuit including asolenoid. a normally closed switch Ior controlling the energlzatlon orsaid solenolo., and a normally open switch i'or controlling theenergization oi' said solenoid; said solenoid having a plunger arrangedfor cooperating with said rod latch means to retain said rod in valveopening position when said solenoid is cie-energized; means on said rodI'or opening said normally closed switch when said rod is in valveopening position;

and means associated with said assembly means for operating of saidnormally open switch/to eiect' closing thereof upon operation of saidram. 7. In a gun charger for a machine gun or the like having areciprocating member adapted to means for controlling the admission offluid pressure medium to saidI first means includinga valve operatingrod; assembly means'operable "by said ram for urging said rod in a'direction to close said valve including a latch for retaining said rodin such position; a lever for releasing said latch; an arm associatedwith said lever adapted to move said lever out of latch releasingposition responsive to movement of the reciprocating member; a springfor eiecting move- -ment of said lever into latch releasing position;escapement mechanism for retarding the movement of said lever into latchreleasing posi- Y( tion; means for urging said rod in a direction toopen said valve when said latch is released; latch means on said rod; anelectrical circuit including va solenoid, a normally closed switch forcontrolling the energization of said solenoid,

and a normally open switch for controlling the 'energization of saidsolenoid, said solenoid having a plunger arranged for rendering said es--capement mechanism ineffective when said solenoid is de-energized;means on said rod for yopening said normally closed switch when saidrodis inV valve opening position; and means associated with saidassembly means for operating -of said -normally open switch to eectclosing thereof upon operationv of said ram.

-8. In a gun charger for a machine gun or the like having aAreciprocating member adapted to be moved rearwardly by the recoil of thegun and adapted to be moved forwardly by rebound and/or a spring, thecombination of: fluid pressure medium operated means including a rainfor engaging the reciprocating member and moving the same into itsrearward position; valve means for controlling the admission of iiuidpressure medium to said iirst means including a valve operating rod;assembly means operable by said ram for urging said rod in a directionto close said valve including a latch for retaining said rod in suchposition; a lever assembly including an arm for releasing said latch, asecond arm connected to said first arm and positioned in the path of thereciprocating member to be engaged thereby and movesaid first arm out oflatch releasing position responsive to rearward movement of thereciprocating member, and a third arm connected to said first and secondarms having a pawl thereon; a spring for moving said third arm to movesaid rst arm into latch releasing position; escapement mechanism forretarding the movement of said lever assembly into latch releasingposition including a gear f-iz engaged by said paw1;`means for urging4said rod in a direction to open said valve when said latch is released;latch means on said rod; an`

electrical circuit including a solenoid, a normally closed switch forcontrolling the energi'zation of said solenoid, and a normally openswitchfor controlling the energization of said solenoid. said solenoidhaving a plunger arranged for rendering said escapement mechanismVineffective 4and -Ior cooperating with said latch means to retain saidrod in -valve vopening positionwhen said solenoid is de-energized; meanson said rod for opening said normally closedA switch when said rod is invalve opening position; and means associated with said assembly meansforeffecting closing'or said normally open switch upon operal tion ofsaid ram. Y .Y -f

9.In a gurl charger for a machine gun orrthe like having akreciprocating member adapted to be moved rearwardly by -the recoil ofthe'gun and adapted to be moved forwardly by rebound and/ or a spring,the combination ofi: Vfluidpressure medium operated means including-aram for engaging the reciprocating member and movy ing the same into itsrearward position; valve means for controlling the admission offluidpressure medium toy said rst means including a valve operating rod; ayoke mounted for movement with respect to said rod; a latch for.engaging and restraining said yoke; a spring cooperatl ing with saidrod and said yoke for urging lsaid rod in a direction to close saidVvalvewhilelsaid latch is effective; an element operable to render saidlatch ineffective; means including a spring for urging said element intoa position to render said latch ineffective; means for retarding move-Vment o-f said element under -the t. influence of said last mentionedspring; and means operable by the reciprocating member for movingLsaidelement inY a direction to prevent said element from rendering saidlatch ineffective.

10. In a gun charger for a machine gun or the like having areciprocating member adapted to be moved rearwardly by the recoil of.the gun and adapted to. be moved forwardlyl by rebound and/ orV aspring, the combination of: iluid pressure medium operated meansincludingfaram for engaging thereciprocating member and moving the sameintol its rearward position; valve Y means for controlling theradmissionof` uid pressure medium to said first means including a valve operatingrod; a yoke mounted for movement with respect to saidrrod; a latchforengaging and restraining said yoke; a spring cooperating with saidrod 'and said yoke'for urging said rod in a direction to vclose saidvalve while said latch is effective; an element operable'to render saidlatch ineffective; means including a spring Yfor urging said elementinto a position toV render said latch ineffective; means for retardingmovement of said element under'the Y influence of said last mentionedspringameans operable by the reciprocating member, for. movfr `ingsaidelement in a direction to prevent said element from rendering saidlatchV ineffective; and a spring for urging said rod into valve openingposition whensaid latch-is rendered in- ,K

effective. l i

l1. In a gun charger for a machine gun or the like having areciprocating member adapted to be moved rearwardly by the recoil oftheV gun and adapted to be moved forwardly by rebound and/or a spring,the combination of: fluid pressure medium operated Vmeans including .aram for engaging the reciprocatingmember andmov..

ing the same into its rearwardjposition; valve 4means for controllingvthe admission of fluid ferating withsaidrod andsaid yoke to load the:same for urging said rod in a direction to close said valve while saidlatch is eective; an element operable to render said latch ineii'ectiveto thereby release said yoke and cause said last mentioned spring to beunloaded; means including a spring for urging said element into aposition to render said latch ineiective; means for retarding movementof said element under the inuence of said last mentioned spring; meansoperable by the reciprocating member for moving said element in adirection to prevent said element from rendering said latch ineffective;and means associated with said ram and said yoke for causing said yoketo be moved into position for relatching and for reloading oi saidspring cooperating therewith upon operation of said ram.

l2. In'a gun charger for a machine gun or the like having areciprocating member adapted to Vbe moved rearwardly by the rec-oil ofthe gun and adapted to be moved forwardly by rebound and/or a spring,the combination of: uid pressure medium operated means including a ram-for engaging the reciprocating member and moving the same into itsrearward position; valve means for controlling the admission of fluidpressure medium to said first means including a valve operating rod; ayoke mounted for movement with respect to said rod; a latch for engagingand restraining said yoke; a. spring cooperating with said rod and saidyoke for urging said rod in a direction to close said valve while saidlatch is effective; an element operable to render said latchineffective; means including a spring for urging said element into aposition to render said latch ineiective; means for retarding movementof said element under the influence of said last mentioned spring; meansoperable by the reciprocating member for moving said element in adirection to prevent said element from rendering said latch ineffective;means for latching said rod in valve opening position when said yokelatch is rendered ineffective; and means operable by said ram forrendering said rod latching means inefective responsive to the movementof said ram.

13. In a gun charger for a machine gun or the like having areciprocating member adapted to be moved rearwardly by the recoil of thegun and adapted to be moved forwardly by rebound and/or a spring, thecombination of: fluid pressure medium operated means including a ram forengaging the reciprocating member and moving the same into its rearwardposition; valve means for controlling the admission of fluid pressuremedium to said rst means including a valve yoperating rod; means forlatching said rod in valve closing position; control means includingescapement mechanism operable to render said latch ineffective andincluding an element in the path of the reciprocating member fornormally preventing said control means from rendering said latchineffective responsive to engagement by the reciprocating member; andmeans for locking said escapement mechanism to prevent operationthereof.

' 14. In a gun charger for a machine gun or the like having areciprocating member adapted to rand adapted to be moved vforwardly byrebound A,and/ora spring,v the combination of fluid pressure mediumoperated means includinga ram for engaging the reciprocating member andmoving the same into its rearward position; valve means for controllingthe admission of fluid pressure medium;A to Said first means includinga" valve operating rod; means for vlatching fsaid rodfin valve closingposition; control means including escapement mechanism operable torender said latch ineffective and including Ian element in the path ofthe reciprocating member for normally preventing said control meansvfrom rendering said latch ineffective responsive to engagement by thereciprocating member; and means for latching said rod in valve openingposition when said iirst latching means becomes ineective. y

15. In a gun charger for a machine gun or the like having areciprocating member adapted to be moved rearwardly by the recoil of thegun and adapted to be moved forwardly by rebound and/or a spring, thecombination of: iiuid pressure medium operated means including a ram forengaging the reciprocating member and moving the same into its rearwardposition; valve means for controlling the admission of fluid pressuremedium to said rst means including a valve operating rod; means 'forlatching said rod in valve closing position; control means includingescapement mechanism operable to render said latch ineective andincluding an element in the path of the reciprocating member fornormally preventing said control means from rendering said latchinefective responsive to engagement by the recipr-ocating member; andmeans for locking said escapement mechanism to prevent operation thereofand substantially simultaneously latching said rod in valve openingposition when said first latching means is rendered ineffective.

16. In a gun charger for a machine gun or the like having areciprocating member adapted to be moved rearwardly by the recoil of thegun and adapted to be moved forwardly by rebound and/or a spring, thecombination of: fluid pressure medium operated means including a ram forengaging the reciprocating member and moving the same into its rearwardposition; valve means for controlling the admission of fluid pressuremedium to said rst means including a valve operating rod; means forlatching said rod in valve closing position; control means operable torender said latch ineffective including an element normally renderedinactive responsive to movement of the reciprocating member; a springfor moving said element into position to render said latch ineiective;and means for retarding the movement of said element under the influenceof said last mentioned spring.

17. In a gun charger for a machine gun or the like having areciprocating member adapted to be moved rearwardly by the recoil of thegun and adapted to be moved forwardly by rebound and/or a spring, thecombination of: fluid pressure medium operated means including a ram forengaging the reciprocating member and moving the same into its rearwardposition; valve means for controlling the admission of fluid pressuremedium to said rst means including a valve operating rod; means forholding said rod in valve closing position; control means operable torender said holding means ineffective and cause said rod to be movedinto valve opening ama positiom said control means including ii eiementnormally rendered inactive responsive to movement of the reciprocatingmember; a spring for moving said element into position to render .saidAholding means ineffective; means Vfor retarding the movement of saidelement under the influence of said last mentioned spring; latch meansfor said rod rendered effective upon movement of said rod to its valveopening position to hold said rod in such position, and means 10 underthe control of`said ram for rendering said `latch means ineffeotive.

WILLIAM A. V. THOMSEN.

1 REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the leOf'this patent: Y

UNITED STATES PATENTS` Number Name Date Goepfrich Oct. 1, 19116Y GrantOct. 22. 1946 Pontiusl et al. 24, 1946

